Stepping Stones
by Mechanism Unknown
Summary: Sequel to Pillar. “And then they lived happily ever after.” By giving such an ending to the story, maybe Kaoru was being overly hopeful. “For one who lives the life of a criminal, there is no 'ever after.'"
1. Chapter 1

**Title. **Stepping Stones  
**Author. **Mech  
**Project Start. **9/10/09  
**Applicable Genres. **Drama, mystery, suspense  
**Rating. **T  
**Canon.** Manga & AU  
**Warnings.** Swearing, smoking, violence; OCs; questions that are not to be answered immediately, unspecified age modifications, unidentified flashbacks, and anything else that came with the first two installments.  
**Pairings****. **Hikaru/Haruhi, Kaoru/OC (though not in the same way it usually comes about in the Ouran fandom), implied Tamaki/Kousaka  
**Summary.** Sequel to _Pillar_. "And then they lived happily ever after." By giving such an ending to the story, maybe Kaoru was being overly hopeful. "For one who lives the life of a criminal, there is no 'ever after.'"  
**Inspiration. **Curse my obsession with this series!

Yes, it is worth reading the first two. In fact, they're better than this one.

Also, for your edification and delight, due to the construction of the Japanese language, the following statements are essentially _all the same_:  
"Shadows are everywhere."  
"The shadows are everywhere."  
"Shadow is everywhere."  
"The Shadow is everywhere."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

_No matter how many lives that I live, I will never regret  
_- 30 Seconds to Mars, "Hurricane"

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

_**Infiltration V.  
**__Prologue_

After practically flying down the stairs in anticipation of heading off to school, Hikaru was stopped in his tracks halfway to the door by an unusual crowd of servants.

"What's going on?" he asked curiously, instantly eliciting a unanimous shiver on their part. Ignoring their vague, bumbling apologies, his attention was caught on the large envelope in one of the maids' hands. "What do you have there?"

"It came in the mail for you, Hikaru-bocchama," she answered nervously, "but it looks kind of suspicious, don't you think? There's no return address, it's postmarked all the way from Germany—" Without waiting for her to continue, he wrenched the package from her grip, making a mental note to apologize for the rude gesture later when he did not have such important business to which he must attend. Plopping himself down in the middle of the floor without a care for the oddity thereof, he tore open the envelope and spilled its contents onto the carpet. As soon as the image of the first photograph became clear to his eyes, a tear unconsciously slipped therefrom.

Suddenly, it was as if they were together again, and that bright, honest smile Kaoru was wearing had been brought forth by his twin brother and not the unknown – if fine – young woman on his arm. Along with the decorations in the background, her white dress and his matching, black tuxedo rendered the event clearly a wedding. The 2,700-Euro-plus-tax ring sparkled on her finger next to a glass of champagne. It didn't help that her wavy, auburn hair went so well with the shade of their own.

In the next picture, they were feeding each other pieces of cake.

In the one after that, they were seated at a table with René and Kousaka, both of them in equally formal attire; the former's arm laid casually across the latter's shoulders.

Just as Hikaru was about to tire of the "them," the last picture drifted into his lap. Choking back a sob, he tried not to damage the perfectly captured image of him and his brother gathered in each other's arms, a limo to one side and Narita airport on the other.

He never did make it to class that day. When his parents came back from the office that evening, he was still seated on the floor, photos – dotted with wet circles – spread out in front of him.

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

_Chapter 1_

Caught in a staring contest with the teenager splayed a little too casually across the sofa opposite his own, Hikaru breathed a deep sigh for the _n_th time that morning. What was Kaoru thinking, sending the kid over with no warning? He must have usurped some of Kyouya's penchant for launching surprises, regardless of whether they be pleasant or unappreciated. As much as Hikaru enjoyed spending time with his relatives, this incident definitely fell more towards the latter, and he had already had his share of sudden, emotionally-wrecking events in his lifetime.

"Keifer—" he tried to start.

"'Keifer-_sama_,' to you," the boy interrupted, smirking. Automatically, a shiver ran up Hikaru's spine; the expression was far more similar to the Shadow's than it should have been, considering how the two had never even met.

"We're related – we don't use honorifics with each other. Especially not those ones." Refusing to flinch under the redhead's glare, the kid just settled more comfortably into the couch, dragging out the taste of his cigarette. "And Kaoru says not to let you smoke." Crunching the note in his hands—

_To my dearest brother, Hikaru,_

_Despite our good parenting, Keifer has decided to enter into a "rebellious" phase, so I'm sending him to Ouran for the year in hopes that he may learn some discipline. Please let him stay with you during this time. If he gets too much for you, feel free to send him back._

—Hikaru launched upwards from his seat to steal the offending stick straight from the other's mouth – not without protest – and smash it into the nearest coaster.

"At least not in the house!" he finished scolding.

"_Arschloch_," muttered Keifer, crossing his limbs in defiance.

_Besides, he needs to practice his Japanese._

"I'm not going to let you be a bad influence on my kids," warned Hikaru, guilt that he had once done the same behind his parents' back creeping up only to be snuffed down again. Ironically enough, cigarettes had lost their appeal as soon as it had become legal for them to be in his possession. Then again, nothing could quite fill the hole Kaoru had inadvertently left that day.

_Love, Kaoru_

"I don't want to be here anymore than you want me to," Keifer returned, German accent – surprisingly thick given his bilingual heritage – only augmenting the bitter coating of the words.

"Well then, you shouldn't have done whatever you did to piss Kaoru off so much." As the meaning of the words sunk in as if in after-thought, Hikaru narrowed his eyes at his own, newly-made point. "What did you do, exactly?"

Unexpectedly, Keifer winced at this, his frown now out of more than simple irritation. Instead of answering the question, however, he simply grumbled into the sofa.

After a moment of tense silence, Hikaru stood with another, resigned sigh. "I'm going back to the studio. Have one of the maids bring you to a guest room." As he headed towards the door, he flattened out Kaoru's note in order to properly fold it for placement in his pocket.

"Wait, you're leaving?" the teen exclaimed from behind. Upon turning around, Hikaru was faced with the juxtaposition of black eyeliner outlining green-hazel eyes scrunched in worry.

"_I'm sorry, Hikaru, but I can't stay here."_

"_Where? Germany?"_

"_Yeah. I'll come back and visit someday – I promise."_

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Hikaru nodded. This was not one of the reunions for which he had been hoping. "You can come get me if you need me," he tried to assuage. "The kids – your cousins – get home from school at four." When Keifer didn't protest further, the Hitachiin thought it all right to continue on his original path to his studio. He didn't emerge again until his work was interrupted shortly after four o'clock, when two identical girls barged in, uninvited yet anticipated.

"Dad," they started in unison, yet they split the question that followed, "who is that strange boy in our house, and why is he using our PlayStation?"

"He's not 'strange,'"—though he doubted the validity of his own words—"he's your cousin, Ryouko," Hikaru replied to the first one before turning to the second, "and probably because he was bored, Kotoko. Why, you don't remember him? You've met before, though you were only about five at the time..." Trailing off in his voiced musing, Hikaru wrapped the tape measure he had been using around the nearest dress form. The girls pursed their lips in thought.

"We sort of remember," answered the second one, fingering the edges of her middle school uniform.

"Right," agreed the first, aimlessly twirling a few strands of brown hair around her finger, "but didn't he have red hair like dad and Uncle Kaoru?"

Brown-hazel eyes lit up as if they had just recalled an important fact. "Yeah! And a little sister, though she looked older." Once they seemed to have finished their reflection, Hikaru took the opportunity to explain the situation to the brief extent to which he himself knew it with the recommendation that they should properly introduce themselves once more. At least a "rebellious phase" was a better explanation for why their cousin might have dyed his hair abnormal colors like white and green than an excuse of being on the run from the cops as could have been the case. With that resting in the back of his mind, Hikaru redirected his daughters back to find their guest. They located him easily, for he had not moved since the other kids had poked their heads into the game room a short while previously.

"Hiroharu, you know you're not allowed to watch such violent stuff," instantly scolded Hikaru, rushing over to cover the eyes of the younger boy on the couch with one hand as he snatched the TV remote with the other.

"Hey, I was using that," growled Keifer when the television was abruptly turned off without his prior approval. When he tried to grab the remote back, Hikaru quickly removed it from his reach.

"I don't care if you play such a violent game, but you can't let him watch – he's only eight years old."

Abandoning his pursuit, he dropped his frustration into a flat stare. "By the time I was eight, I knew how to shoot a _real_ gun." Hikaru knew he shouldn't have thought Kaoru irresponsible for this, given how the younger twin had gone on his first mission with Shadow at only 12, but couldn't help but be unnerved at the concept. The thought of his own little boy shooting somebody was downright unimaginable; he couldn't wrap his head around how Kyouya could have let his "son" do it.

The Shadow couldn't have been a good father.

Ryouko's touch on his arm instantly revitalized his attention. Through a shared glance, his thanks was silently offered and taken.

"Nice to meet you again," Kotoko spoke up at the same time, stepping forward to extend a bow. "We're Hitachiin Kotoko and Ryouko, and this is our little brother, Hiroharu." She ruffled the mess of chestnut, much to the indicated child's irritation. "I don't believe he was born yet last time you visited."

"'We'? 'Kotoko _and _Ryouko'?" Keifer repeated, intrigued as to the terminology. "So which one of you is which?" In one, smooth motion, the two girls slung their arms around each other's shoulders.

"That's for us to know, and you to find out," they replied, grinning. Every time it happened, Hikaru had to wonder if he and Kaoru might have turned out that way had they been raised together.

"I'll take that as a challenge." Smirking, he returned his own bow. "Keifer Reich."—Hikaru flinched at the last name used.—"Nice to meet you, too... again."


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

"Shinsaku-senpai, this is our cousin," Ryouko introduced, shoving Keifer forward towards a dark-haired fellow in the front row. Pursing his lips into a thin line, the second-year class president peered over the top of his book at the three characters.

"He's going to be joining your class from now on," added Kotoko.

"Excuse me for not recognizing you young ladies," began Shinsaku, "but I don't believe we've met."

"Oh, don't worry about it," said Ryouko. "We haven't formally met, no."

"But everyone knows of Shinsaku-senpai," praised Kotoko. Fiddling with the stiff edges of his uniform, Keifer stuck his tongue out at the smiles they were giving the other, teenage boy.

The twins bowed in unison. "We're Hitachiin Ryouko and Kotoko, but Keifer here is more important. Introduce yourself, Keifer." After prodding him in the shoulder, she grabbed her sister's hand and skipped away with a succinct farewell before he could more than glare at them for the gesture. Turning his attention back to the task at hand with a resigned sigh, he noticed that the other teen had since politely stood in recognition of a proper introduction.

"Keifer Reich," said individual began. At first, he automatically extended a hand for a shake, but upon realizing his cultural mistake, took it back in exchange for a bow. "I mean... Pleased to meet you."

"Ootori Shinsaku," the other returned with his own bow in addition to a polite smile. "I'm sure it's going to be a pleasure having you in our class."

"I don't know about 'a pleasure,' but I plan to make it interesting."

"I look forward to it."

Much to Keifer's annoyance, he was also forced to introduce himself to the class as a whole later, once they were all settled and the teacher had arrived. As soon as he provided his brief answer of "Munich, Germany" to the question of his place of origination, the teacher tossed him a poorly concealed, odd look. It wasn't long before he began to discover how a majority of the discussions at Ouran centered on one's heritage as well.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Hitachiins are in the fashion industry, but I haven't heard much regarding their cousins," Shinsaku told him at lunch. "'Reich' is your family name, is it not? You said it backwards this morning."

"Oh, sorry; it's easy to forget that kind of thing," shrugged Keifer, absentmindedly stirring the food around on his plate. "Yeah, my family name is Reich. I'm not surprised"—though he admitted to himself his relief—"that you haven't heard of us – _Vater _likes to keep a low profile. Then again, it's not hard with such a common name."

"I see. I ask because the Ootoris are leaders in the medical field, and therefore do much business with companies in Germany. May I ask what brings your family to Japan?"

"Not my family – just me," he corrected, earning the raised eyebrow he expected. "My parents sent me to stay with my cousins because I was 'acting up.'" He placed clear, sarcastic emphasis on the term to reflect his belief in a lack of sufficient evidence. Out of politeness, Shinsaku didn't question further for specifics on that matter.

"You're an only child, then?" he assumed, curious above everything else.

"No, I have a younger sister. I guess _Vater _thought we needed some time apart."

He nodded in understanding. "Things definitely become tense if my younger brother and I spend too much time with each other."

"Something like that." He tried a laugh, but it came out far more dry than he had wanted it to due to how his own situation was, in truth, quite the opposite.

"So I see we have something else in common: we are both the oldest to inherit the company."

"It's more like a 'legacy' for me, but yes." Regardless, it was nice to meet someone who made an effort to relate so early on during his stay in Japan. Upon prompting, Keifer shared this encounter with his conglomeration of relatives that evening, only to receive an unexpected amount of interest in return.

"_Ootori _Shinsaku?" Hikaru repeated, with a look that spoke of something Keifer was missing.

"Dad, we've told you about Shinsaku-senpai before," Ryouko spoke up.

"The really cool one, remember?" added Kotoko, gaze drifting into space at the recollection.

"Yes, but you didn't say he was an 'Ootori,'" replied Hikaru, maintaining his disbelief at the coincidence. Somehow, there was something even more disturbing at how Kaoru had apparently left out that detail of the story.

"Why does it matter so much?" cut in Keifer, annoyed at the disguised, potentially valuable information. Even though no one answered him verbally, the glance Hikaru and Haruhi exchanged from across the table said enough. "It has something to do with _Großvater_, doesn't it? My grandfather, I mean." At the hurried translation, Hikaru's fingers unconsciously clenched around his chopsticks. Ryouko and Kotoko shared a confused glance at the terminology.

"I don't want you calling him that while you're here," Hikaru said through gritted teeth, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"That's who he is; he's _Vater_'s father. I can call him whatever the Hell I want to." In anticipation of an altercation, Ryouko and Kotoko each placed a hand over each of Hiroharu's ears.

"Not in my house."

Though the shout that followed was unintelligible to the rest of them save for the occasional "_vater_," the furious stare and gesture of a threat to launch the nearest projectile on hand – which happened to be a pair of chopsticks – were fully grasped in their intensity. The girls covered Hiroharu's eyes as well with their free hands. Hazel eyes shot open wide, Hikaru instinctively brought his arms up to cover his face, trembling as much with fear as the threat was with anger. When the image of a grown man terrified and at his mercy settled into Keifer's vision, he turned away, slamming the chopsticks into the table top hard enough for them to remain vertical before marching out of the room without another word.

Slowly, Hikaru lowered his arms as Ryouko and Kotoko relinquished their protection of Hiroharu's innocence. The boy blinked at the scene subsequently revealed to him in confusion. As they looked on in consternation and concern, Haruhi wrapped her arms around her husband, whispering condolences into his ear.

"Keifer...?" Ryouko tried later with a knock on the other's door. When a confirmation was not heard within adequate response time, she opened the door anyway, a decision that she would soon regret as a pillow flew straight for her face. Shrieking, she quickly slammed the door shut once again as Keifer screamed,

"Go away!" from inside the room. At the potentially disturbing noise, Kotoko and Haruhi instantly came running, the latter having told Hikaru that she would take care of the incident. As Ryouko assured Kotoko of her own well-being and Kotoko consoled her sister that she was not at fault, Haruhi gingerly stepped up to the plate. Once again, an infuriated "Go away!" was heard from within the room upon a preliminary knock.

"It's Haruhi; I'm coming in anyway," she announced firmly without room for negotiation. After shoving open the door, she swiftly sidestepped in order to successfully avoid the subsequent, squishy projectile. As soon as brown eyes met greenish hazel, the owner of the latter dove under the covers, curling himself up on the bed. Haruhi raised an eyebrow at the motion that could easily be construed as avoidance but that she knew now, based on the dried tears and smudged eyeliner, was more out of embarrassment. Stepping closer to the bed, she laid a hand on the lump under the covers. "It's all right to cry, you know."

Slowly, the edge of the blanket lowered to reveal a dubious stare. Without received protest and with an offered, kind smile, Haruhi claimed a seat beside the figure, just far enough to be appropriate yet affectionate.

"Miss your family?" she prompted. Averting his gaze, Keifer shifted into a lounge position.

"No," he scoffed at first, but soon enough his tone mellowed. "I don't miss my parents... that much. It's mostly Freida."

"Your sister?" A nod. Haruhi breathed a sigh. "Hikaru was wondering why Kaoru would 'do such a thing' to the both of you, when he should understand what it's like to be torn away from a sibling." The hazel gaze drifted over to where Haruhi was threading her fingers together in insecurity. "I think, as hard as the separation was, they both grew because of it. Besides, it's not like you're never going to see her again. The year will be up before you know it." When Keifer didn't respond at first, she was neither quite sure of how to continue. Just as she was about to open her mouth once more, his edgy voice cut through the silence.

"_Vater_'s always saying how much he wishes we could all live together. I think he's ashamed that Germany means too much to him for him to leave it behind. It's stupid. Both him and _Mutter_ grew up there – why would they want to leave that?" Unfortunately, Haruhi couldn't provide an answer to that; Japan and her family were one in the same. She wondered to what extent the boy knew _why _Germany was of such personal importance.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Haruhi," he said suddenly, sitting up to look her in the eye. On the way, he grabbed a tissue from the box on the side table to rub at the corners of his eyes. "You and Uncle Hikaru must hate to hear this."

"Hikaru and Kaoru-kun have been through a lot," she chose to reply carefully. "They're still confused. I don't know how much you've been told about their whole situation, but I bet you and your sister are, too." If she hadn't been attentively watching for it, she could have easily missed the trite nod. When she didn't receive a response beyond that for several minutes, she took it as a sign that the child was sufficiently consoled, though his arms remained wrapped around his knees. Climbing to her feet, she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, ignoring the disapproving stare that was returned. "Tomorrow, Keifer-kun, you should think about apologizing." Before he had the chance to release his protest, she silenced him with a further explication. "For scaring him; not for calling Kyouya-san your grandfather." Gradually, he settled back into his seat.

"Aunt Haruhi?" he spoke up just as she reached the door.

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry." But when Haruhi turned around to question why the apology was directed at her, Keifer had already shut his eyes and curled himself up once more, marking the conversation as over.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

At the simultaneous sneeze from behind him, Kaoru threw a glance over his shoulder to see the second culprit shuffling down the stairs in pink slippers and an oversized sweatshirt.

"What are you doing awake, Freida?" he asked.

"I can't sleep," she answered, tone fully representative of her annoyance at the circumstance and the obviousness thereof. Stepping forward, she plopped down on the floor next to the chair, leaning her head against his leg. Automatically, one of his hands went to sift through her orange-tinted hair as the other adjusted to typing without its pair. "When can Keifer come home?"

A deep sigh. "As soon as this whole thing blows over, we'll bring him home. I'm not sure who we're dealing with, so I can't say how long it'll take."

Her sigh was on par with his own. "I wish I could have gone with him."

"I know, but it's too dangerous. This person might be able to identify you two if you're together – maybe even because of it – and maybe not if both of you are on your own."

"We can take them."

Kaoru laughed shortly at Freida's attempt to lighten the mood. "Probably, but I'd rather not have to find out." His gaze drifted over to her overly large sweater. "Did you want to stay with Mamoru for a while?"

She raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Dad, you're the only parent I know who would ask their daughter to stay at her boyfriend's house," she shared in amusement.

"With Yuki-san home all the time, I'd trust there wouldn't be anything unspeakable happening between the two of you." Although his eyes narrowed suspiciously as they turned to look at his daughter, his lips upturned at the corners, bringing forth a matching grin on her part. "Now, run off to bed before I change my mind."

"On one condition."

"Yes?"

"Will you tell me a story?"

With that seemingly innocent smile, he couldn't help but capitulate. "I suppose," he granted, rolling his eyes as they stood to head back upstairs. When she turned into Keifer's room instead of her own, he didn't question. Once she was settled beneath the covers, he adopted a position against the headboard. "What story would you like to hear?"

"The one about how grandpa found you," she suggested, rendering a bittersweet smile from him at the sense of déjà vu.

"In German or Japanese this time?" he specified.

"Japanese," Freida instantly decided.

The other nodded as his mind switched languages. According to instruction, he began, "Thirty-four years ago, in Tokyo, Japan, there lived a set of identical twins..."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

Sneaking out of the house turned out to significantly easier than he had first guessed it would be given its size, staff, and the owners' history. Then again, maybe they spent more effort keeping unlawful individuals _out_ than rebellious teenagers _in_. Creeping along the sides, Keifer reached the front without issue, ducking below windows and avoiding motion-sensing lights that might have revealed his position. Frowning at the fence whose bars through which he could have fit when he was younger, he clambered over it before jumping down from the other side and taking off down the sidewalk.

Once he was sufficiently deep within the bright lights and skyscraper confines of downtown, he hailed down a taxi to take him to the location provided verbally. The driver gave him an odd stare before complying, but understandably so; teenagers stylishly reminiscent of punk who desired to visit graveyards in the middle of the night might generally be unsound. As soon the driver was handed his money, he left the boy to light up a cigarette as he made his way through a row of _tori _gates.

"Here's to hoping you're really here," he muttered to himself in his native tongue, a picture of the identifying map that he had found on the internet in his head as he rounded corners and climbed over spilled branches. By the time he located the one grave for which he had been searching, the clouds had begun to scatter a handful of droplets across the cemetery. Careless for the cool drizzle save for its potential to quell the burning end of his cigarette, Keifer traced the outlines of the letters carved into the stone, amused at how the last name – Reich – was written in katakana, yet the first – Kyouya – had remained in the original kanji. Indicative of at least one other who bothered to care for the miniature alter, flowers, only recently wilted, lay splayed on the dirt in front.

"Grandfather," Keifer began, continuing in German as he knelt down on the ground. "I hope you can hear me, because I need some guidance. I've tried talking to God, but he hasn't answered me yet."—a dry laugh around the paper stick in his lips—"I don't understand why they can't just leave us alone. I don't really want the legacy of Shadow, anyway. I'm sorry we can't have the normal life you always wished for dad, but they had to go fuck it up and—"

He stopped, the crunch of branches only getting closer. Turning his head to the side, he had to lift up an arm to shield his eyes from the harsh glow of a flashlight's beam as the owner approached.

"Who's there?" he demanded, only to realize a second later that he had forgotten to switch back into the language of his current country, and thus having to repeat the question.

"I should ask you the same thing," replied the police officer as he knelt down next to Keifer, shining the light over the boy's form and the cigarette in his hands. "What's a kid like you"—Keifer scowled at the implications.—"doing in a cemetery in the middle of the night?"

"Can't you see? I'm praying," he stated indignantly, bringing the officer to raise an eyebrow in disbelief. With the help of his flashlight, he briefly scanned the name on the gravestone in front of them, which only interested him further.

"What's your name, kid?"

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "...Keifer."

"All right, Keifer-kun. Why don't you come with me, so I can take you back home." The threat implicit within the so-called offer was clear with its definitiveness.

"No, thanks. I can get back by myself."

"Really, I insist." Slapping on a smile, the man latched onto Keifer's arm with his free hand to drag him to his feet and off towards the exit.

"Hey, I wasn't done!" protested Keifer, quickly crossing himself as he was pulled away from the grave, but his exclamations went unheeded. The rough motion caused the cigarette to slip from his fingers, extinguishing as soon as it hit the damp soil. Thinking it best not to risk interfering further, Keifer reluctantly let himself be guided out of the cemetery and into the police car parked by the side of the road. When asked for the address, Keifer cringed; though he had long since had it memorized, revealing his relationship to the owner of that mansion was not something he wanted to do for the police.

When Hikaru appeared in the entryway in a robe over silk pajamas, he was just as displeased as anticipated. Once Keifer had marched back up to his room and out of earshot, the redhead and the police officer retired to a sitting room to discuss the matter in a more private environment.

"So, I found your son—"

"Nephew," Hikaru corrected.

"Excuse me; nephew..." the policeman continued with exaggerated congeniality. "I found him smoking in the graveyard."

"That's all?" He doubted the limited harm or reason for such an act.

"And 'praying,' he said," he added, nodding, "but what is of most concern is the person to whom the praying was directed:"—a gulp at the weighted name—"Reich Kyouya. That man was..."

"The Shadow, I know." Although his sigh spoke more of exhaustion, he too was concerned over the matter of Keifer's desire to associate with the criminal, regardless of how Kaoru considered the man his parental figure, a notion which in of itself brought clenched fists.

"I would advise you to keep an eye on him. I wouldn't want him to get into any trouble."

Hikaru had to repress a dry laugh at the hidden background. "Me neither."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

This time, when one of the girls knocked on their cousin's door, they did so with great caution, waiting patiently until a reluctant word of acceptance was offered from inside. When she opened the door to see Keifer sleeplessly watching TV from the bed, he glanced up in surprise at the identity of the intruder.

"Oh, hey, Kotoko," he greeted, earning a twitch of shock on her part at his immediate identification, and thereby implying that he was correct therein. "I was expecting your father."

"He's still talking to the cop downstairs," she replied softly, careful not to tread too roughly on a delicate subject and eager to change it. "We thought you might be lonely, and were wondering if you might like to sleep with us." Smiling brightly, she extended a hand.

He blinked. "All together? In your bed?" She nodded. "How are we all going to fit?"

Neither her resolution nor her expression wavered. "We keep our beds pushed together. We'll make room for you."

Slowly, he returned the smile. Though he did not directly take her hand, he turned off the TV, climbed off the bed, and followed her to the door. On the way out, she grabbed a pad of paper and a pen with which to leave a note just in case her father did come looking for the runaway, so that he did not assume the worst. When she opened the door to her and her sister's bedroom, the other twin grinned at the success in their mission.

"Hey, Ryouko," Keifer said as Kotoko climbed onto the side-by-side beds beside her sister, which earned him a similar reaction to the one previous and no questions.

"Come on," they simply beckoned – as cheerfully as possible for it being in the early hours in the morning – grabbing onto each of his pajama sleeves and pulling him forward into the pile of blankets and limbs. After much giggling and rustling, they all finally settled into comfortable sleeping positions, Keifer nestled in the crook between the two beds and his two, identical cousins. "Good night, Keifer."

"Good night, Kotoko, Ryouko," he said, entwining his fingers with each of theirs in turn with their names. When Hikaru was at last relieved from his unfortunate discussion and given a chance to check on his "rebellious" nephew before collapsing back into sleep himself, he had to raise an eyebrow, lips twitching upwards at the corners, at the sight of three teenagers curled up together.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

Hikaru watched in awe as his twin brother beat the crap out of the punching bag in the center of their gym, wondering how their parents could have possibly confused Kaoru for himself with those muscles. Almost unconsciously, a nervous cough escaped his lips, bringing Kaoru to halt halfway through an especially forceful kick to throw his brother a surprised glance.

"Am I scaring you?" he asked, relaxing into a casual stance. Even though Hikaru waved off the concern, Kaoru stopped to take a drink from his water bottle. Settling onto the rubber flooring, he beckoned Hikaru over to sit next to him with only a disturbingly familiar stare. As the two of them drifted into a semi-comfortable silence punctuated only by Kaoru's gradually steadying breaths, Hikaru's gaze – and soon thereafter so did his fingers – drifted over the black lines embedded into the skin of his twin's back under a diaphanous tee. Kaoru twitched at the touch, throwing a curious glance over his shoulder.

"S-sorry..." muttered Hikaru, instantly retracting his hand.

"No, it's okay. Here." After placing his water bottle firmly on the floor, he slid his shirt off over his head, thereby revealing the design more clearly to the other's vision. Once a safe moment of silence had passed, Hikaru gingerly brought his fingers forward once again to brush against skin inked in the vague shape of a wraith.

"What does it say?"

No one could have missed that smirk. "Guess."

At first, his lips twisted at how he was possibly supposed to translate the German himself, but after several moments of thought, the often reiterated answer came to him. "'The shadows are everywhere,'" he surmised, conviction evident in the supposition confirmed at the other's subsequent nod. "I thought tattoos were mostly a mafia thing."

"Maybe in Japan." Kaoru shrugged. "Everyone assumes we're part of the mafia anyway."

"_Secondly, in regards to the 'murders,' the honorable Prosecution has so kindly left out that each of these men and women were known members and even leaders of crime organizations."_

Before Hikaru could originate an appropriate response, a servant cut in their conversation to announce the preparation of dinner. Standing, Kaoru first donned his shirt once more before sliding his arms into the sleeves of a sweatshirt.

"Wait," interrupted Hikaru, tugging at the shrouding cloth as he too pulled himself to his feet. "You don't have to..."

"Are you kidding?" returned Kaoru with a flat stare. "Your mom would have a cow if she saw it."

"She's your mom, too"—He quickly continued before the expected objection could be inserted.—"and as such, she has to accept you for who you are – tattoo or no tattoo... Shadow's legacy or not." After a long stare that spoke just as extensively, Kaoru bit his lip and back his reservations, removing the sweatshirt from covering both his intentional markings and battle scars and tying it around his waist instead. Grinning in triumph, Hikaru locked their arms together and dragged his long-lost twin brother off to dinner.

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

On the second night Keifer sneaked out of his cousins' house in order to speak with his grandfather, a crack in the leaves behind him interrupted their attempted conversation. Before he could pull the knife from his boot, Keifer's face hit the ground, scattered rocks slicing open the skin of his cheek. The fallen cigarette lay mere centimeters away, the end still flickering against a semi-dark backdrop. When his hands were pulled tight behind him, a growl emerged from deep in his throat.

"I should've known that Kaoru would send his son to Japan to keep him out of harm's way," the captor speculated, face obscured by back-lighting. "That's just the kind of coward that legacy breeds – always hiding in the shadows."

"_Vater_ and _Großvater _are not cowards!" argued Keifer, pulling desperately yet futilely at the fingers clamped around his wrists. Whoever this was, he was a heck of a lot older than Keifer's own 16 years.

"Then why did he leave it up to his brother to protect you? Not that he's doing a very good job of it." Another set of fingers brushed against the underside of the boy's chin, threatening to curl themselves around his neck. The nervous gulp came via an unappreciated base reaction. "Not that you or your sister deserve protecting."

Hazel eyes narrowed dangerously. "Keep your filthy hands off my sister," he growled, but the half-empty threat was blatantly ignored.

"If your father wanted his family to have a normal life, then he should have returned everything Shadow stole. That pride, that _money_, isn't yours to keep."

A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. "So it's about the money, is it? Aren't you just like everyone—" Wrenched from his position on the ground, he was not given enough time to finish his bitter query before being slammed into Kyouya's headstone.

"Now, don't you wish you were, too?"

The last thing he felt before drifting into unconsciousness was a trickle of blood down the back of his neck.

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

Glancing over at the sudden shuffle of fabric, Hikaru couldn't help but purse his lips in anticipation at what possible outbursts the boy could emit once he emerged from the drug-induced slumber. However, that which left the bruised, parched lips was not among that which Hikaru had been primarily expecting.

"_Vater_..." Keifer whispered, reaching out with a subconscious wince at the pain the movement of his wounds sent up his nerves. He repeated the title once more, adding on more words in German as well. Hikaru exchanged intrigued glances with the hospital assistant on the other side of the bed. Yet when the latter opened his mouth to speak – perhaps to translate – the former silenced him with a simple yet certain motion. Moving closer to the bedside, Hikaru accepted the outstretched arms into his own with reservation contrasted by the other party's conviction in the hold. As slurred, foreign words continued to poor from Keifer's mouth, a fear rattled his bones and salted drops fell from his half-lidded eyes.

"He's begging for your forgiveness," clarified the attendant, simultaneously writing down the entire content of Keifer's monologue. "Or, rather, his father's forgiveness."

"Why? It's not like it's his fault," pointed out Hikaru, frowning at the array of gashes that decorated his nephew's cheek. As soon as Hikaru started rubbing circles into his back, a motion that his own children often appreciated, Keifer began to settle into silence and the other's arms, though his fingers remained clenched around the fabric of his sleeves. "If anything, it's mine. I should have kept a closer eye on him." A hand on his shoulder told him Haruhi thought otherwise.

"We can't know for sure until we get his side of the story," the hospital attendant insisted.

"Yes, we can," argued Haruhi gently. Keifer wasn't the only one who turned a confused gaze up at her. "He wouldn't apologize if it was his fault."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

The next time Keifer's eyes drifted open, the attendant gestured for the present guests to remain in the background as he spoke to the other boy concerning his own matters of a higher priority.

"Reich-kun," he began gently, regretting the name usage when Hikaru automatically winced, "we need to contact your parents to tell them you're here. Could you give us a phone number?"

"Where is 'here'?" Keifer returned, blinking in confusion.

"The Ootori hospital."

"I'm not supposed to give out our phone number. They might find us."

"You can trust me, can't you?" Smiling, he laid a comforting hand on Keifer's shoulder. "We're family, after all." In contrast to Keifer's surprised stare, Hikaru pursed his lips in mixed feelings over the confirmation of this supposition.

"We... you, Shinsaku-san... are?"

A confirmatory nod. "Second cousins, in a way." After a long, pensive stare, Keifer gingerly came upon the desired response. As he recited the digits, Shinsaku recorded them on his notepad. After convincing his friend to fall back asleep, though purposefully leaving out the help the intravenous sedative played in this so-called decision, he offered up the piece of paper. "Would you like to give them a call, or should I?"

At first, Hikaru outstretched his hand automatically, but just as his fingertips brushed the edge of the paper, he retracted it. Anyone who knew him was well aware of how much he longed for the seemingly simple information contained on that sheet. On the other hand, anyone at all could understand why he would rather not have the first news exchanged between him and his twin brother after such time apart be that of Keifer's current, injured status. With that in mind, Haruhi grabbed the piece of paper before her husband could get the rejection out.

"I'll do it," she more than offered, already slipping a cell phone from her purse.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

Without sparing Hikaru more than a brief glance of recognition, Kaoru instantly made for his son's bedside. Hikaru opened his mouth to comment on the obvious limp in Kaoru's step—

"_Dammit, how do you always manage to get shot in the leg?"_

—but decided against it when Kaoru leaned forward to whisper German into Keifer's ear. A second later, they had their arms wrapped around each other; Hikaru chastised himself when he realized the feeling bubbling up in the pit of his stomach was jealousy, though over whose position, he couldn't be sure. Father and son did not relinquish their hold until Shinsaku walked in the room, presumably having been notified of the important character's appearance. At this point, Keifer perked up, shedding his tears for excitement.

"_Vater_, this is Ootori Shinsaku-san," he introduced, cheerful despite the drugs and his current situation. As soon as the family name left his lips, Kaoru's eyes widened; the elaboration provided was not necessary. "He's related to _Großvater_." As always, a wince automatically flashed across Hikaru's face at the naming.

Shinsaku nodded in agreement. "Ootori Akito, Kyouya-san's oldest brother, was my grandfather," he specified, simultaneously bowing as part of the unusual introduction. "I take it you're Kaoru-san?" A confirmatory nod. "Keifer-kun has told me much about you."

"And I take it you're the only one who really wants him here," said Kaoru, not as a question. "The rest of the staff have been avoiding me."

As much as he wanted to, he could not hide a wince. "Unfortunately, the Ootori family has not quite come to terms with the whole ordeal. But I assure you, Keifer-kun has been taken care of just as well as any other patient." Although none of them truly believed the statement that could be negated by the pure fact that a high school student was the primary caregiver, neither did they bother dwelling on the matter. Picking up the clipboard from the base of the hospital cot, Shinsaku flipped over the cover to record said patient's current vital statistics. "Other than a series of lacerations, all we have to worry about is a minor concussion, and even that seems to have had no permanent impact." Guilt creeping up once more at the reminder of his nephew's injuries, Hikaru shrank into his seat, unable to meet his brother's gaze even if it were to be directed at him. "I see no reason why he can't be discharged tomorrow. Your authorization was primarily what we were waiting for."

"But... he could have killed me," spoke up Keifer, successfully earning everyone's attention at the mention of the events previous to the injury. Although his voice remained as steady as possible, his hand shook around Kaoru's as it clamped down hard enough to turn the knuckles white. "There's a reason he didn't. It's a threat." He turned to his father with a convinced stare. "He wants the money, and knows that he has a higher chance of getting it if I'm alive. That you might hand it over to protect me and Freida."

"If he just wants money, then why you?" interjected Hikaru, impulsiveness getting the better of him. "Anyone at Ouran would have made a suitable target." Not that he wished it on any of them – he himself had gone through similar enough of an ordeal to realize the potentially permanent, negative effects.

"Not just 'money' – _Großvater_'s money. _That _money."

"He wants it back in what he believes to be the rightful hands," Kaoru concluded, subconsciously narrowing his eyes in disapproval. "So he has a strong sense of justice."

"It doesn't matter who it was," Hikaru started, curling the fabric of the bed sheets into his fists, "we still need to get the police involved."

"No, we can't!" Keifer immediately shot back at him. Another, similarly hazel gaze told him Kaoru's thoughts ran along similar lines, though with an additional hint of intrigue as to the other's reasoning. Fortunately, just before those stares could squelch Hikaru back into his seat and into offering unwarranted apologies, they softened – perhaps with such a realization of their potential – as Kaoru's free hand drifted over to cup itself over one of Hikaru's fists. "The police are the only ones who could have known I was there."

"Where was 'there'?" prompted Kaoru, interested in further information. Lowering his gaze, Keifer shrank in on himself as if ashamed.

"...In the graveyard. I was trying to talk to _Großvater_, but those jerks kept on interrupting me."

"Was it the same 'jerk'?"

"No, the voice was different. But the second guy already knew who I was – he must have found out from the first one. No one else could have known I was there. Even if we report this to the police, they're not going to believe us. They're going to think we're making it up, just to get back at them for what happened to _Großvater_. They're going to—" Halting the frustrated tirade that had at some point diverged into German, Kaoru gathered his son into his arms once more, running a hand through intermixed strands of green and white and whispering words of condolence.

"Shh, Keifer. It's going to be all right. We'll figure it out."

Gingerly, Hikaru extended a helping hand to join in with the most comforting motion he knew. At first, the child flinched at the touch, but soon enough settled once more, burying his face into his father's shoulder.

"Dad, why does God hate us so much? Shouldn't he know everything, even about grandfather?" asked Keifer. Frowning at the questions he never knew how to answer, Kaoru purposefully avoided Hikaru's intrigued stare at the secret, German conversation. "I'm sorry I pissed him off so much."

"It's nothing you did," assured Kaoru, pulling the other closer into the embrace.

"Then why?"

"This doesn't mean he hates us. We still have each other, don't we?"

Without a direct retaliation, Keifer couldn't respond to this. After a moment, he continued, "Where's Freida?"

"Not to worry; she's with Mamoru."

"And mom?"

"Perfectly safe."

"Good."

"Then, do you think I could speak with Hikaru for a bit, outside? I'll come back as soon as we're done, I promise." After a indecisive moment, Keifer at last conceded a nod. After being laid back down on the hospital cot and given a kiss on the forehead, he let his fingers slip from his father's grasp as the two men headed towards the door. "Ootori-kun, keep an eye on him for me."

"Of course," the other promised in a corresponding, lighthearted manner.

As soon as the two redheads were safe within the confines of the hall, Hikaru latched onto his twin's sleeve as if terrified that he might disappear to Germany at any moment.

"Kaoru, I'm so sorry..." he choked out with a force suitable for how long the apology had been contained. In contrast, Kaoru calmly pried the fingers from his arm so that he might turn around and face his brother's misplaced honesty.

"Hikaru, in no way is this your fault," he tried to convince the other, reaching over to brush away the tears forming at the corners of the mirrored gaze. In turn, Hikaru couldn't help but wonder how Kaoru himself was keeping the tears at bay behind that forced smile, be it his past training or strong will. "Even if it was somehow, I'd still love you."

"I love you, too," Hikaru automatically responded, pulling his brother into an embrace.

"Even though I forced my rebellious son on you without warning?"

Jumping off Kaoru's jocular tone, Hikaru allowed himself a terse laugh. "Even though."

"Who found him?" Kaoru continued after a few, silent moments. Fortunately for the shiver that subsequently ran up Hikaru's back, the hold was not released.

"An undertaker, doing early morning rounds. Luckily, Keifer had his student ID on him. By the time I got here, they had already patched him up."

"Have Kotoko and Ryouko been to see him?"

"No... I don't want them to see him like this. Haruhi's been around, though. She's in court right now."

"Is she stopping by here after?"

"She can if you'd like. Or not," Hikaru quickly added. "Whichever you want."

Although Hikaru couldn't see it for how deep his face was buried in his twin's shoulder, Kaoru smiled at the potentially impractical generosity. "How about the both of you go straight home tonight?" At the order implicit in the suggestion, Hikaru pushed himself back to give his brother a torn, insecure stare.

"But..."

"I appreciate you staying with him, but I think we both know it would be better if he gets some alone time with his father now."

Swallowing down his reservations, Hikaru nodded. "His _vater_, you mean," he corrected, forcing his lips into a bittersweet smile. After a momentary flash of surprise, Kaoru emulated the expression.

"Right."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Infiltration VI.  
**__Chapter 6_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you, Kaoru."

"Can we stop at the train station on the way back?"

Hikaru scrunched his brow in suspicion at the meaning behind such a request. "...Why?"

"You'll see."

A shiver instinctively ran up his back at that sly grin. Pursing his lips, he averted his eyes. "You mean the big one down the street?"

"Right. It'll only take a few minutes, I promise."

Instead of replying to his brother directly, Hikaru transferred the request to their chauffeur as they climbed in the back of the limousine. All the way to the train station, his heart thumped loudly in his chest at what the logical part of his mind thought must have been irrational anxiety over what or who they would find at their destination. The subtle sound was only perceived as louder by the lack of speech across the vehicle. When they arrived, Kaoru's prompt instructions did nothing to quell his twin's worries.

"Do me another favor. Go in the lobby. You'll understand why when you get there."

"But—"

"You'll be fine," he smiled, and somehow Hikaru had to believe it. With the assurance that he wasn't the only one confused – via Keifer's questioning glance – he climbed out of the car and headed into the station. Moments later, wandering, hazel eyes fell upon the image of a fine, young woman with wavy, auburn hair seated on a bench. Catching the other's gaze, she instantly put the book she had been reading away in her purse before standing. Although Hikaru was the one to step forward within hearing distance, she opened her mouth to speak first.

"Kao—" she started, shutting her mouth once again as her eyes lit up in realization. "...Hikaru?" The name left foreign and awkward with the absence of an honorific from her lips.

He nodded, attempting to put on a polite smile above the churning in his chest. "It's nice to finally meet you, Emily," he offered truthfully, debating whether the European name truly sounded less awkward by itself than it might have preceding a Japanese honorific. Just when he was about to extend a hand for a traditional shake, she usurped the introduction by bringing her own hands up to lay across both sides of his face. At the edge of his shocked gaze, the 2,700-Euro-plus-tax diamond sparkled on her left ring finger.

"You, too." As her lips curved into a soft smile, those deep, green eyes scanned every detail of the man's face from the intimidating position of eye-level as if comparing it to that of the one she knew so well.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Hikaru took a step back, out of her grasp, as smoothly as he could. "We should go; Kaoru's waiting in the car." After picking up her suitcase, he headed back towards the entrance with her tennis shoes squeaking against the polished linoleum at his side.

As soon as the awaiting chauffeur opened the door to the limo, Keifer exclaimed "_Mutter_!" and not a word of Japanese until they reached their second destination, where he was immediately gathered into a surprise hug by the twins. Amongst the unreasonably happy family and all the German, Hikaru could have forgotten he was there.

"Something wrong?" asked Kaoru, breaking the other out of his half-regretful daze. Although the relaxed question was clearly directed at Hikaru, Kaoru kept his eyes on Keifer, who had one hand clamped on his mother's arm and the other wildly gesturing as he recounted dramatized tales of the last few days.

"No," (rep)lied Hikaru, shaking his head vigorously in reflection of the sentiment. "I just don't get how you all can be so calm about this whole ordeal."

After a moment of contemplation, Kaoru offered that smile that always seemed to assuage any fears Hikaru might have. "_Vater _always recommended keeping one's professional and personal lives separate."

"_I may be a 'criminal,' but above that I'm a father."_

Although he nodded, he couldn't help but frown at the memory. "Yeah, he said something like that while he was... keeping me." When his arms automatically went up to wrap themselves around his torso, Kaoru's arm also joined them in comfort. Relaxing into his twin's touch, Hikaru turned a curious gaze on him. "But you really sent Keifer over here to protect him from the German police, didn't you? How is that not mixing personal and professional?" Regardless of how he failed to see how Shadow-related matters still fell under the category of "professional," considering how - fortunately - none of them were continuing that line of work, he thought it best to stick with the other's terminology for the sake of preventing unnecessary, detailed debates.

To his surprise, Kaoru shook his head. "That's a clever deduction, but it's not the entire story. The note about Keifer being rebellious is part of the truth, too." He frowned in disapproval in the direction of the subject. "Besides the whole smoking issue, he's been getting into fights at school, shoplifting... Has he been doing anything like that here?"

This time, it was Hikaru's turn to shake his head negatively. "Just the sneaking out to the cemetery."

"It was a good move, then," mused Kaoru with an edge of relief.

Hikaru gaped at his twin in disbelief. "'Good'?" he repeated, already hearing his voice crack and his eyes staring to water. "If you hadn't trusted me with him, then he wouldn't have gotten attacked."

"Maybe," Kaoru specified, tone remaining steady as his eyes darkened. If they hadn't been standing so close, Hikaru wouldn't have been able to see the other's fingertips press harder into his arms as he took them back to lay crossed against his chest. "Maybe everything would've been fine. Maybe he would've gotten arrested for some silly, little thing, only to be sent to prison on the mere suspicion that he might turn into the next Shadow." Through a gaze lowered to the floor, the beginnings of tears sparkled from behind bangs that fell over his eyes. "_Vater _always said that one shouldn't live depending on a maybe."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

Twirling a finger around the long, black strands of her wig, Freida returned the scrutinizing stare of the police officer standing in front of her.

"You're the new recruits?" he said, manila folders containing forged transcripts and identification in hand.

"Yep. Fushida Reiko," she confirmed the alias with the best Japanese accent she could muster. Fortunately for her current situation, she had never been as adverse to the speaking of foreign languages as her brother.

"And Grantaine Mamoru," added the young man by her side in proper, Japanese fashion, not bothering to cover up his natural, French accent. Let that and his head of blond hair be an indication of European heritage; nobody would know him here. "It's a pleasure to meet you." After a nudge of the elbow, Freida echoed the motion of a bow.

"Right; well," the senior officer continued with only half his attention, "here's your first assignment." He handed them a second set of manila folders. "Find out as much relevant information as you can about this guy. Depending on how well you do, we might let you in on some bigger fish."

"Yes, sir," the two undercover teenagers responded simultaneously, opening the cover of the folder to expose a wanted criminal report. With a curt nod, their supervisor returned to his own desk. Spinning back around in her chair to face the computer, Freida immediately began loading the information database as Mamoru flipped through the hard-copy.

"'Bigger fish' is exactly what we're here for," she muttered to herself. Poised on the corner of the desk, Mamoru smiled to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

"Keifer!" called Kaoru as he stepped casually into his brother's house, earning more than the desired individual in return. Regardless of the unrequested attention of the curious uncle and the invested prosecutor, he removed a miniature recording device from his pocket. As soon as both Keifer and Hikaru opened their mouths to question, Kaoru silenced them with a "Listen," starting the playback feature. On the imperfect sound recording, a series of voices came through; after a few moments, clearly from an informal, mealtime conversation. Alongside the scrutinizing gaze of Haruhi, Hikaru narrowed his eyes at the lack of context.

One voice – belonging to that of a young woman – brought Keifer to share a secret gaze with his father. A second was laced with a smooth, French accent. Another turned Keifer's gaze sour; clamping a hand down on Kaoru's shirtsleeve, he swallowed once before speaking.

"That's him," he said with unwavering conviction. Nodding, Kaoru stopped the tape before sliding the device back into his pocket.

"All right; I'll let her know," he assured, placing an assuaging – if embarrassing – kiss on Keifer's forehead. "Now, go finish your homework. I'll be up to tell you a story in a little while."

"Can Kotoko and Ryouko hear the story, too? I'm sleeping with them tonight."

From over the head of green hair, Kaoru flicked a gaze over to the other two present. "That depends on what Uncle Hikaru and Aunt Haruhi say." Although disappointed by the inconclusive response, Keifer nevertheless nodded in understanding before heading off to do as he was instructed. As soon as the kid vanished up the main staircase, Hikaru eyed the other redhead critically.

"'Story'?" he repeated with doubt as to the appropriateness of the word choice. "Like the one concerning how you were kidnapped?"

"'Found,'" corrected Kaoru, a bitter edge sending a shiver up the other's spine, "but yes, that is most often the one requested."—Disorienting enough, the glare dissipated just as quickly as it had manifested.—"I assume Kotoko and Ryouko won't recognize the historical accuracies?" This time, Hikaru didn't respond other than to purse his lips. When Haruhi gently slid her hand into his, his attention was more pleasantly distracted, if only for a moment.

"Especially considering all this, I think it's about time they hear it. At least like this," she suggested firmly in contrast to the concern her brown eyes shared with his hazel ones. Hikaru tightened his grip on her hand.

"Only if..." he gulped, keeping their gazes locked as if breaking it would challenge some greater principle, "only if... I can hear the story, too."

So when Kaoru headed up to his nieces' room approximately half an hour later, Hikaru and Haruhi followed him, claiming seats on the floor at the opposite end of the stage. Emily sat by her husband, leaning her head on his shoulder; Hikaru couldn't help but wonder if that was all it took for Kaoru not to burst into tears at the memories. When Hiroharu knocked on the door in order to complain about the noise, even he was invited – though not without reservations – to join in story hour. Halfway through the retelling, he would fall asleep in his father's arms.

"I guess it has to be in Japanese this time, huh," Kaoru half-muttered to himself before beginning, sharing a knowing, amused glance with Emily and Keifer. Pausing briefly, he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath, exhaling only when his eyes shot open again. "Thirty-four years ago, in Tokyo, Japan, there lived a set of identical twins..."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

After exciting the classroom building alongside a couple of friends, Emily immediately began heading across the university courtyard. Halfway across the field, a unique, unexpected sight entered into the corner of her vision. Their eyes met at the same time, widening simultaneously in excitement – one amazed, the other anticipated.

"I'll catch up with you later," she told her friends, voice choking on the words. Her gaze could not leave the designated site even if they had tried. As soon as the others complacently turned in the opposite direction, she took off running, gathering the destination up in her arms without a care for the fallen backpack. "Kaoru... I can't believe you're here." Without leaving room for a response, she pulled back just far enough to turn their lips together.

"So you're not mad at me?" he asked once they finally broke apart, wincing in presumed consternation.

"Of course not," she laughed, tears falling from her green eyes. "I was just so worried about you. I knew you'd come back when you could."

"You have such faith in me."

"Because I love you."

"I know; I love you, too." For a long moment, they simply stood there in the middle of the courtyard, smiling and crying at the same time as they stared into each other's eyes. Then, Kaoru took a deep breath for that with which he had to break the silence. "I just have one question." At first innocently confused, her eyes widened in realization as he got down on one knee. After pulling the jewelry case from his pocket, he opened it in the palm of her hand, a 2,700-Euro-plus-tax diamond reflecting mid-afternoon light. "Emily Johanna Baldwin, could you possibly do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Closing one hand around the ring, she leaned down to kiss him again. "Nothing would make me happier."

As Kaoru had long been expecting such an answer, a simple smile was enough to convey his feelings on the matter. "Even though my dad was Shadow?"

"It is _because_ your father was Shadow that you became who you are now – the man I love," Emily replied confidently, sliding the ring on her finger. This time, it was his turn to instigate the kiss as their hands interdigitated.

"For the record, I tried asking your father for permission first," he interjected, "but he shut the door in my face."

"I figured he might." Rolling her eyes, she shook her head disapprovingly. "I don't care what the Chief of Police says about you and your family."—Knowing the statement did not entirely reflect the truth, Kaoru brushed back the stern look and auburn curls from her face.—"I don't even care if he disowns me. We're going to get married and live happily ever after."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

"And then what?" Kaoru finished, focusing his gaze on one of the only other two who knew the ending to the story.

"And then they lived happily ever after," concluded Keifer with a satisfied smile. With outstretched arms, he beckoned both his parents into a warm embrace. "_Gute Nacht, Mutter, Vater_." To their surprise, when Kaoru and Emily returned the sentiment, Ryouko and Kotoko asked to share in the wealth as well. When Keifer laughed at their amateur attempt at German pronunciation, Ryouko retorted with an emulation of his accent on the Japanese version of the word. Rolling his eyes, Kaoru left them to their own devices as he headed for the door. With Haruhi's helping hand, Hikaru followed them out, lifting the sleeping Hiroharu into his arms.

"You were right," Hikaru whispered, once the boy had been safety deposited in his own room with the door closed behind them. When Kaoru tossed back a questioning glance, the other explicated, "about the story. It had nothing to do with your kidnapping. It was about how Shadow 'found' you." Although Kaoru didn't respond verbally, the pleased smile he gave was answer enough.

"_Gute Nacht_, Hikaru," he said, reaching over for his own embrace.

"Good night, Kaoru," Hikaru replied, such German speech unable to leave his lips this time.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

"Listen, Keifer. If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. Fear is nothing of which to be ashamed."

"Dad, stop it," the boy groaned into his cell phone. "You're embarrassing me in front of Shinsaku." On the other end of the line, Kaoru laughed.

"I would've more expected to hear something like that from Ryouko or Kotoko," he teased.

"Kotoko's the one with the crush on him – not Ryouko," Keifer corrected in annoyance. A glance to his side revealed a raised, intrigued eyebrow on Shinsaku's part, vanquishing hopes that the Ootori couldn't understand German _that _well and subsequently raising fear of rebuttal should either girl hear about this. Without comment, Shinsaku gestured towards the door of the café, and all thoughts concerning everything but the mission vanished from Keifer's mind. "I'll talk to you soon, dad." With the unspoken assumption of urgency, he closed the phone and slid it into his pocket without waiting for a response.

With one last slurp of his smoothie and Shinsaku's hand on his shoulder, he headed for the door through which the crowd of police employees were entering for a casual lunch. Carefully avoiding the two familiar gazes to which he was automatically attracted, he sifted through the others for the one that had once been hidden in the dark, but since revealed through a secretly garnered photograph. After "accidentally" bumping into that man's side as they passed each other, Keifer muttered the rehearsed apology before looking up.

In the moment their eyes met, the elder's first widened in realization, then narrowed in anger. In the next, the younger plastered on a smirk. In the one after that, the looks were gone as if nothing unusual had transpired.

"Here, sir; you seemed to have dropped this," Keifer stated with a saccharine smile, holding out a folded piece of paper. Although his gaze remained wary, the man nevertheless accepted the offering.

"Thanks," he said simply, waiting for the other to turn back towards the exit before following his companions to their booth.

"Something the matter, Takanaka-san?" Mamoru prompted, only half the concern in his tone valid.

"Naw," he waved it off. "That kid just seemed somewhat familiar, that's all."

"Probably because it's the same kid I told you about that I found smoking in the cemetery the other night," another officer explained, shrugging. "The convinced 'grandson of Shadow.' Look, he's even made friends with an Ootori." Even though his gaze mirrored the other man's in following the kid out the door, bemusement composed its contents more than anything else.

"And the Ootoris are...?" posed Freida, narrowing artificially brown eyes in genuine interest. Tensing, Mamoru brushed his hand against her leg from under the table. As the other group members deviated into a detailed – but not too confidential – discussion of Shadow's known history, Takanaka leaned back in his seat to unfold the piece of paper still in his hand without anyone reading over this shoulder, purposefully or otherwise. Inside lay a message in crisp, neat handwriting:

_Dear Takanaka Ichiro:_

_Day after tomorrow, seven-thirty, Odaiba. I can't wait to meet you._

_Yours truly,_

_Kaoru Reich_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

"If I don't say good-bye to him before I go back to France and you don't let me, he's never going to forgive either of us."

Regardless of how much Hikaru wanted to force René out of his house, he could not argue against the point. "Fine. See if you can calm him down," he challenged. Crossing his arms, he led the way upstairs. Even if Hikaru had halted the tour there, René could have guided himself the rest of the way, for from within one of the rooms was coming a series of crashes and thuds intermingled with German exclamations. Earning an apprehensive shiver from Hikaru, René shoved open the door without hesitation.

"_Geh raus, __Arschloch_!" was instantly screamed before the recognition set in, bringing Kaoru to freeze – fortunately – right before hurling an object – shattered beyond recognition – in their direction. The uncannily frightening look on his face dissipated to be replaced by a flood of tears, though the remnants of stains on his shirt made it clear that it would not be the first. After stepping over strewn items of clothing and shards of furnishings, René accepted the demand of a crushing embrace with open arms.

"You're going to be okay, Kaoru," he whispered, his own tears breaking free at the pressure. "I know you're stronger than this." Without pulling his face from his friend's shoulder, Kaoru shook his head vigorously into the fabric. Sighing, René gazed out over the chaos, his chest clenching at the damage once more. "I have to go back to France."

"No, you can't!" shouted Kaoru. Hikaru gasped at the first words of Japanese he had heard his twin utter since the trial ended. "René... _Mutter_..."

"My visa's about to run out."

"You can't leave me, too!"

"Kousaka's coming with me. We'll find Emily. She'll be waiting for you, so stay strong, okay?"

"No, _no_; please don't leave me...! Take me with you."

With his best attempt at a reassuring smile, René pried the other's fingers from his arms. "I'm sorry," he said with one, last look in Kaoru's desperate eyes before parting. As René disappeared behind the door frame, futilely wiping at his cheeks with the edges of his sleeves, Kaoru sank to the floor, face impassive. As such, Hikaru had to step forward with at least a lack of angered threats. As soon as he claimed a seat on the floor at the other's side, Kaoru fell over onto his lap, clinging to his twin's jeans as if for life.

"I'm sorry," Hikaru offered, regardless of a lack of a precise reason for the apology. One hand he sent through the fading black hair; the other lay on top of one of Kaoru's own.

"Hikaru," the other spoke up after an innumerable period of silence, "can you make me a promise?"

"Anything for you, Kaoru."

"Please, promise you'll never leave me."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

Arms crossed, he stared out across the Odaiba shore, a faint wind rustling the red-orange ends of his hair. Twenty-two years had gone by, and yet the exchange that had occurred on this very bank still played clear in his mind. Oversensitive ears instantly picked up on the other's approach above the rushing city behind them.

"I'm surprised you dared come out of the shadows, after hiding behind Keifer for so long."

"I could say the same of you, Takanaka Ichiro-san."

Even though the redhead continued to deny the other the pride of speaking to his face, he could practically feel the gaze boring into his back. Desperately trying to keep the shaking contained on the imperceptible inside, he pressed his fingernails deeper into the skin of his arms.

"How did you figure out my identity?" broke the next silence from behind.

He couldn't help but smirk as the rehearsed line fell from his lips. "Don't you know? The Shadow is everywhere."

With an irritated growl, he dropped off the topic of conversation. "Did you really think you could get away with keeping that money? It's not yours. It should be put to good use."

"What better use is there than a child's care and education?"

An expected scoff. "Like I'm supposed to believe that's what you're really using it for."

"Should you not? Of all things, I didn't think Shadow was known for being a liar."

"You're all liars. Lying to yourself and everyone else in claiming that what you've done isn't criminal."

"Yeah, and accosting a minor is going to get you promoted to Chief of Police _really _quickly," he spit out, momentarily loosing the monotone. In the moment afterward, he was kicked to the ground, arms were pulled behind his back, and the familiar feeling of cold metal was pressed into his scalp. Gulping, he tried to divert the adrenaline rushing through his veins into an advantageous avenue. Over and over again the plan repeated itself in his head. "If you kill me, they'll find out soon enough."

"I'm a police officer," the other man reminded him, laughing dryly. "Covering this up would be a cinch." Wrenching the redhead to his feet, Takanaka guided him forward, closer to the water's edge.

"Why would you need to cover it up? It's not like it's a _crime_ to kill someone." Sarcasm dripped from a bitten, bloody lip to fall in ripples on Odaiba bay. With an accentuated punch, so too did the speaker. Griping the back of his head, he turned to harden a glare at the attacker, fear all but forgotten until the aim was redirected at his face.

"Shadow's legacy should have died alongside him! To kill his 'son' would be a service to society."

"How? Why? Since when was Kaoru no longer the victim?" he screamed back at the so-called policeman, one hand clenching into sand and a mix of tears falling from his eyes. Although Takanaka narrowed his eyes briefly at the word choice, he was far too beyond to comment on such a detail.

"Since you didn't give back all that Shadow stole. Are you going to give it up, or am I going to have to shoot you to convince you I'm serious?"

Voice by now sufficiently trapped in his throat, the defender closed his eyes and waited for the gunshot to come. There was just enough time to replay the plan once more before the piercing sound vibrated in his ears.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

When he pried open his eyes again, his attacker knelt on the ground, clutching at the round wound in his arm. The other followed his gaze across a plain of grass to a uniformed young woman – possibly more pissed off than either of them – still holding out her weapon in firing position. As the three of them began to recover, a fourth and fifth descended upon them, the former latching handcuffs onto Takanaka's arms before he could fight back.

"I would never have thought..." he muttered to himself, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Takanaka Ichiro, you are hereby under arrest for assault and attempted murder." Watching in awe as his assailant continued yelling in defense, the victim didn't acknowledge that the fifth individual was inquiring into his well-being until a sudden – if gentle – hand was laid on his shoulder. Even then, he could hardly believe that staring him in the face were blue eyes, blond hair, and a strangely familiar smile.

"We apologize on behalf of our errant officer," he offered, earning an approving nod from his boss.

"And for taking so long to interrupt," added the shooter, approaching the congregation as she slid the pistol back into its holster, "but I wasn't to engage without backup."

"Exactly," agreed the senior officer. "Good job on that and the aim, Fushida-chan. Why don't you and Mamoru-kun take Reich-san's contact information while I haul this guy up to the cruiser?"

"Actually..." the redhead choked out, freezing at the designation and successfully catching the man's attention. Although that one word was all his voice could manage then, arms wrapping around his shoulders and a temple leaning against his own assured him that he wouldn't have to finish the sentence.

"_I'm _Kaoru Reich," the other twin continued. "I can't believe he thought you were me," he added, pretend shock over the "mistake" overlaid by genuine concern over his brother's well-being. From the look on the two young recruits' faces, they were not too surprised by the appearance. In contrast, given a moment of recovery, Takanaka subsequently launched into a fight of rage over that which he knew not to be a dupe, only to be threatened into submission by his former supervisor.

"Well then, it seems we may have to add another charge to the list," said boss commented with interest as he restarted his path to the road. "My apologies for the mix-up."

"Can we call you an ambulance?" suggested Mamoru as their senior's image faded beyond the ridge. "It looked like you took a pretty bad hit to the back." Eyes narrowed in worry, Kaoru ran a hand through the hair on the back of his twin's head – to his relief, matted only with water.

"Thanks, but we'll take care of it," he spoke for the both of them. After presenting a comforting smile to his brother, he turned it on the others. "Good job with everything, you two. I'm proud of you." They accepted the praise with soft smiles and simultaneous thanks.

"We'll see you soon," said the girl, meeting the head officer's expectant gaze from afar. Wrapping her partner's hand in her own, she stood to part.

"Take care, Kaoru-san and Hikaru-san," added Mamoru as he was half-dragged away. As Kaoru helped the one remaining to his feet, it occurred to Hikaru with apprehensive confusion that although they had admitted him _not_ to be Kaoru, they had never explicitly revealed his true identity. Then again, he consoled himself, maybe these young officers had simply done their research.

"You were impressively brave out there, Hikaru," Kaoru said, successfully interrupting any other thoughts.

"Thanks, Kaoru..." Hikaru whispered in return, the corners of his lips twitching in what was almost an embarrassed smile. "Can we go home now?" Kaoru chuckled at the simplicity of the request.

"Nothing would make me happier."

.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.

"How's your head?"

"Fine," Hikaru answered laconically, not even glancing up from his design when Kaoru came to take a seat beside him at the drawing table. "Stop beating yourself up about it. I _wanted_ to go in your place."

"I know. They doesn't stop me from being concerned about your health."

"I know," Hikaru echoed, at last turning to grin at his younger brother. "You're as stubborn as I am." Rolling his matching, hazel eyes, Kaoru mirrored the expression.

"Too stubborn to take a break and come downstairs for a while?" he asked, nudging him playfully in the shoulder. "There's someone here who wants to meet you."

His automatic response was to narrow his eyes suspiciously. "Who?"

"A good person, I promise," Kaoru assured him, laughing at the overreaction. Standing, he removed the pencil from the other's hand and replaced it with his own appendage, thereby forcing Hikaru to come along as he headed for the exit.

When they opened the door to the living room (one of them, at least), there were far more people within than Hikaru had been expecting. Besides the presence of his own parents – apparently dropping by for a visit with their grandchildren – sitting affectionately close to Keifer on the couch was a young woman with more features indicative of a familial relation than just her bobbed, red hair.

"Hello again, Uncle Hikaru! Nice house," she greeted cheerfully, waving at his starstruck position. "Is your head feeling any better?"

"How did you...?" he started, trailing off as the pieces began falling into place. "That girl... from before..." Other than a smirk courtesy of Keifer, aloud musings passed uninterrupted. "But you're name's not really Fushida, is it? It's Freida."

"Frederica, technically; but yes."

_"Where's Freida?"_

_"Not to worry; she's with Mamoru."_

Hazel eyes drifted to the back corner of the room, where the blond boy who had called him by name without knowing it sat, nervously staring in his direction. Then, they floated back to the couch, on which his partner who had shot and wounded a grown man posed, grinning like the teenager she was.

"Mamoru," she called, following the direction of her uncle's gaze, "_Viens ici. Tu ne dois pas rester là-bas_."

"_Mais... je crois qu'il ne m'aime pas,_" he argued with convinced concern over the matter.

"How many languages does she speak?" whispered Hikaru in amazement, letting the two continue their debate in French.

"Four," Kaoru answered simply, drifting over to claim a seat next to Emily on the opposite side of the furniture arrangement. Although Hikaru's form soon followed behind, his primary attention was caught by the sound of someone else approaching the entrance to the room.

"I'm home. I found this guy wandering around outside," Haruhi announced, gesturing towards the teen coming in behind her. "Hope you don't mind that I brought him in with me." Bringing a pillow up to cover an emerging blush, Kotoko muffled an excited yet terrified shriek in the process. Beside her, Ryouko's jaw dropped to the floor.

"I apologize for the intrusion," Shinsaku said politely, raising an eyebrow at the girls' reaction. Without comment, he then turned to the objective of his appearance. "Ready to go, Keifer-kun?"

"Sure thing; but I want you to meet my sister, first," the other boy answered excitedly, jumping from his seat only to drag Shinsaku back over to where it was. As the three of them exchanged introductions and genealogical tidbits in vague enough terms as to not upset certain, other occupants of the room, Haruhi stepped over to where the other adults were seated.

"I asked my boss," she whispered to Kaoru, "but everyone agrees that I'm too personally connected to this case to prosecute Takanaka myself."

"As I expected," he replied, nodding in understanding. "Thank you for trying, though."

"Of course."

"So, Hikaru, do you think things turned out all right?" Kaoru asked as Keifer and Shinsaku waved cheerful farewells on their way out. Once he had recovered from the introduction of the abrupt question, Hikaru crossed his arms over his chest.

"I still don't like him," he concluded, keeping his voice quiet enough so that his parents could not hear above their conversation with the girls.

"I don't expect your opinion to change."

"If he hadn't gone and"—He didn't dare tread on the term "criminal."—"broken all those laws, none of this shit would have happened," he grumbled, not truly expecting a response. If anything, he certainly did not anticipate the amused upturn at the corner of Kaoru's lips.

"If you only consider the hypothetical, then maybe 'Shadow' and 'Light' were never meant to get along," he suggested, throwing a playful tone in contrast to a serious statement. Turning to comment on something Freida said, he left Hikaru to ponder the double-meaning on his own.

_The End_


End file.
